Expecting the Rancher's Heir

“Don’t you see? Marrying me solves everything, angel.” He drew her close to press a kiss to her temple. “You get to keep your inheritance, the resort keeps its investors and our baby gets a full-time momma and daddy to raise him.”

Either her resistance was down or what he said was beginning to make sense to her. She did want to maintain her share of Jarrod Ridge and she could likely only do that by remaining in Aspen to manage Tranquility Spa. If she married Shane, some of the investors might grumble about her becoming pregnant before the marriage, but it should be enough to keep them from pulling their funding.

Leaning back, she gazed up at his handsome face. She had always hoped to have a husband and family, but in her dreams she had imagined marrying for love, not to save the resort’s reputation and funding.

He must have sensed her resolve was weakening. “I give you my word that you won’t regret becoming my wife, Lissa,” he promised. “We can make this work. We already have a lot more going for us than other couples have.”

His statement took her by surprise. “We do?”

He nodded. “We get along well, we enjoy and appreciate some of the same things, we have a fantastic love life and a baby on the way. The way I see it, that’s a damned fine start.”

“But there’s still a lot we don’t know about each other,” she said, unwilling to give in so easily.

“We’ll learn as we go,” he said with a knowing grin.

The skunk knew she was going to agree with his plan. Was it too much to ask that he not gloat about it?

“How would we tell everyone the news?” she asked, wondering what her family would say.

Shane looked thoughtful for a moment. “I can make reservations to throw a dinner party in the Sky Lounge. I’m a Jarrod Ridge investor and given the way your family feels about losing its backers, I’m sure your brothers, sister and their significant others will feel compelled to attend.”

If there was one thing she was certain of, it was the compliance of her family with one of the resort’s investors. Shane and his father before him had contributed quite a lot of money to special events at Jarrod Ridge. There was no way her brothers would risk losing that.

“I can’t think of a single reason that anyone in my family would turn down your invitation.”

“Good.” His grin widened. “Now, can you think of anything else we should do before we tell your family?”

She shook her head. “Not at the moment.”

“Then there’s only one thing left to do.” He dropped to one knee and taking her hand in his, smiled up at her. “Melissa Jarrod, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Staring down at Shane, she couldn’t help but wonder what she was getting herself into. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this,” she murmured. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Then, straightening her shoulders, she opened her eyes and nodded. “Yes, Shane, I’ll marry you.”

Six

The following week as he sat thumbing through a magazine in the obstetrician’s waiting room, Shane took note of the pregnant women around him. Their stomachs were various sizes, and he couldn’t help but wonder what Lissa would look like in the months to come.

Tossing the magazine on a table beside his chair, he glanced over at her, sitting beside him. He tried to envision her slender figure growing large with his child. From his research, he had learned that some women didn’t start showing their condition until late in the pregnancy, while others blossomed early. He wondered which way Lissa would carry their baby.

His speculation was cut short when a nurse called their names. “Melissa and Shane, if you’ll follow me, we’ll get your blood work taken care of and weigh you before the doctor does your examination.”

Once the woman had drawn Lissa’s blood and collected what she needed for a variety of other tests, they were ushered into a small room at the end of the hall. Taking both of their health histories, the nurse finally gave Lissa instructions on preparing for the examination and left the room.

“I think they know more about me now than I do,” Lissa said as he helped her lay back on the uncomfortable-looking table.

“If you stick with the same doctor, they’ll have all the information on record and it won’t take as long the next time,” he said, seating himself in a chair beside her.

Raising up on one elbow, she looked at him as if he had sprouted horns and a tail and carried a pitchfork. “Next time?”

“Well, I assumed you’d want more than one child,” he said, wondering what the hell had gotten into him. They were just at the beginning of one pregnancy and he was talking about another?